Wheat Allergy Symptoms

Wheat allergy symptoms are the result of exposure to gluten which is an ingredient in certain grains including wheat, barley and rye. Gluten is a special form of protein that, when encountered by those sensitive to it, produces wheat allergy symptoms.

Wheat intolerance is not an allergic reaction. It's a reaction in response to the incomplete digestion of wheat proteins. While a wheat intolerance may appear as if an allergy is the root cause, intolerance symptoms develop gradually over time and take the form of aching joints, gastro-intestinal problems, depression, eczema, and low iron levels.

The primary symptoms of a wheat allergy include tiredness, itchy skin, cramps, acne, headaches, migraine, psoriasis, anxiety, arthritis, depression, hives, wheezing, abdominal swelling, and sweating. As with other food allergies, the severity of symptoms can depend on length of exposure to the allergens. Anaphylactic shock is the most severe and life threatening reaction.

Symptoms often appear immediately after eating foods with gluten, or can sometimes be delayed for a couple of hours.

As with all food allergies, the first and most important step toward minimizing the symptoms of a wheat allergy is to eliminate wheat based foods from your diet. Because wheat appears in so many food products, you'll want to be vigilant about reading labels and making sure there's no wheat or gluten included.

These are ingredients that can be an indication of the presence of wheat gluten: bread crumbs, bran, cereal extract, cracker meal, enriched flour, natural flavoring, soy sauce, starch, gelatinized starch, vegetable gum, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein.

The good news is that there's a wide variety of gluten-free foods to fill in the gap in your diet. These can include everything from breads to pastas to flour.

If you've experienced wheat allergy symptoms, you should consult with your physician to confirm the diganosis. He'll use a combination of a skin scratch test and a blood test to identify if there's an allergy at work and what that allergy may be. Once a diagnosis is made, your physician can work with you to determine a treatment plan, which will likely hinge on efforts to eliminate wheat gluten from your diet.

Your physician may also recommend a nutritionist to help advise you on those foods you should and shouldn't eat, and suggest alternatives for those foods you're no longer allowed to consume.